Book Five: Love
by Silvi Masters
Summary: A chronicle of Avatar Korra and Asami Sato's life together. Post Finale.
1. Episode 1: Stray Thoughts

**Avatar: The Legend of Korra**

Book Five: Love

_Our lips came together as the light from the portal to the Spirit World surrounded us and in that beautiful instant I knew that everything I had been through to get to this moment was worth it a hundred times over. All the indecisiveness... all the pain... all the heartache and misery... all of it melted away as her hands came up to hold my face, the kiss deepening as the warm, joyous tears began to fall. I closed my eyes... and lost myself in her embrace..._

_I wasn't sure how long we'd been standing in the Spirit World meadow before our lips parted... probably not as long as either of us wanted. Our foreheads came together and her hands slipped down around my shoulders, mine finding their way around her waist. We held each other like that and cried... cried for lost time... cried for the joy of the moment... cried for the promise of the future..._

_Eventually we broke apart, though our hands found their way together quickly afterwards. As the realization of what just happened sank in we both blushed. I felt silly doing so after all the time we'd spent together but I couldn't help it. Eventually she took full notice of our surroundings and the look of wonder and joy on her face warmed my heart. This vacation was exactly what we needed to heal._

–

_**Episode One: Stray thoughts...**_

–

"Asami... can I ask you something?" I murmur quietly, not wanting to disturb the serene moment.

She turns to look over her shoulder and gave me one of her dazzling smiles. My heart skips a beat at the sight of it. She sits at the edge of a stream, bare feet dipped into the water, with little pink air spirits dancing happily through the air around her, occasionally fluttering down to tug at the flowers woven into her hair.

"Of course!" she says, eyes holding steady on mine. I swallow hard over the lump forming in my throat and wonder whether this was the right time to ask something like this. Sensing my hesitation, her smile fades into a look of concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No no! Nothing like that!" I shout, waving my hands about frantically as if to shoo away any such thoughts.

She giggles.

"Well what is it then? You can ask me absolutely anything Korra... I'm not going anywhere."

I swallow again, the intensity and certainty in those words resonating deep within me.

"It's just a little embarrassing," I murmur, turning away and fidgeting with the floral crown Asami had made for me.

I can see her studying my face intently out of the corner of my eye, eventually a sly little grin forms on her lips.

"You don't need to ask if you want to kiss me again, you know," she says in a conspiratorial whisper.

I had to wonder if my heart skipping so many beats was going to be dangerous in the long run...

"Not that!" I sputter, blushing.

"Oh? You don't want to kiss me again?" she asks, feigning a frown.

"You're horrible!" I cry out, setting off another fit of giggles. I sigh and resign myself to the embarrassment, walking over to sit beside her. "I was just wondering when was the first time you... ah... when you first..."

She studies my face for a moment before leaning over and resting her head on my shoulder.

"The first time I felt something... more than just friendship for you?" She asks, sparing me the trouble of forcing out my jumbled thoughts.

I nod, and things settle into a long silence before she answers.

"That's kind of hard to say..."

"Don't worry about it," I say, wrapping my arm around her waist. "It's just something stupid I was thinking about."

"No, it's not stupid... I'm just not sure it didn't happen before we became friends is all," she answers thoughtfully.

"W-What do you mean? You l-l-liked me way b-back then?" I manage to stammer once my heart returned to its normal rhythm.

"Don't get too full of yourself there!" she says, head slipping from my shoulder as she re-positions to rest it in my lap. She smiles up at me, reaching up to run her fingertips along my cheek. "If you recall we didn't even really get along all that well in the beginning, with you not trusting me because of my father and all that..." she trails off somberly, her smile fading. "Things might have been so much different if we'd met under other circumstances..." Slowly, the sadness drains away. "But to answer your question... I'd have to say the first time I felt something for you... was the first time I noticed your back!"

"My... back?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow at her.

She smiles and closes her eyes.

"You probably don't even realize it but your back is mesmerizing. So strong and perfectly formed... yet feminine and welcoming at the same time. I've seen it so many times over the years when you put yourself between me and whatever danger we happened to be in at the time. Every single time it inspired the same sense of comfort and relief, the promise that everything was going to be just fine. The first time I noticed your back and everything it represented... I wanted to hold you and press my face against your back to let that feeling of safety wash over me..."

"I see..." I murmur, not really sure how to respond to that.

"Looking back on it now knowing what I do I'm pretty sure there was something more to it but at the time..." her eyes flutter open and she grins at me, "I was just really into your sexy athletic back! If only I'd had the sense to look a little lower... your butt is adorable too!"

I couldn't stop the lopsided grin from spreading across my face if I tried as I pinch her side playfully.

"That's enough out of you!" I shout, the two of us settling into an easy laughter.

"Well, aren't you going to tell me your side of things? You've obviously been thinking about this for a while."

I turn away, blushing.

"It's embarrassing..."

"And my back-lust story wasn't?!" she shouts with playful indignation.

"Ah... right..." I murmur, looking down into her eyes for a long while before whispering, "Always..."

Her eyes widen slightly at the whispered word.

"What do you mean always? I thought you didn't like me when we first met?"

"What? No!"

"I seem to remember the words 'kind of prissy' being mentioned at one point," she says, fixing me with a mock glare.

I turn away and scratch at my cheek with my index finger.

"Ah... yeah... that was kinda what I'm talking about actually. Something about you really bugged me the first time we met."

"Well I'm amazed you didn't just sweep me off my feet then and there with that kind of charm!" she says with another laugh.

I give her side another pinch.

"Shut it and let me explain!" I huff. Eventually the laughter dies down and she fixes me with an interested look. "I was just starting to come to terms with what my life was going to be like at that time. Well, I guess it would be more honest to say I was acting out in the face of all my future responsibilities. Then I saw you... rich, smart, confident," I reach down to caress her cheek, "stunningly beautiful... and free." Asami starts to protest but I press a finger to her lips. "I didn't know what you were going through then, only what I could see. To me you represented someone who could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Being around you was... exhilarating... and frustrating at the same time."

"Korra..."

"It was the day you took us to the racetrack when I had my first suspicions about what I was really feeling and it terrified me. Being the Avatar, I knew that every decision I made would be scrutinized by the entire world, maybe for thousands of years to come. I had to consider that acting on my feelings could turn a large portion of the world against me. It made me so angry and bitter..."

"I remember, during the Spirit Festival you started pulling away from all of us. You seemed so desperate to become a better Avatar."

I nod, letting the silence stretch on for a while to compose myself.

"Before the Harmonic Convergence, I decided to speak to my past selves about what I was feeling. There were more than I had expected who had interests similar to mine but one of them in particular stuck in my mind. Her name was Lia and her time as the Avatar was mostly a peaceful one. She told me that her only regret in life was how long it had taken her to act on the feelings stirring within her. 'Ten years I traveled with my childhood friend before we opened ourselves up to the possibility of our shared love. Though we had a wonderful thirty years after that I always regret that we had not allowed ourselves to come together sooner. Do not share in my regret...' she told me. I was looking forward to speaking more with her and the others... but my connection to them was severed forever and I had to make the decision on my own."

"That was a good time, truly a breath of fresh air," she murmurs, rolling over where and snuggling closer to me. "I could feel the difference in you immediately, hell even the others noticed the change in us enough to feel kinda awkward. For me it felt like the door that had been slammed in my face had suddenly been kicked open. You know my heart skipped a beat when you called me your girlfriend, even though you didn't mean it like that... it was nice."

I smile at the memory.

"Well, I kinda did mean it like that, and yeah... it was nice."

Another long pause, the two of us soaking in the glow of the moment. After a time I feel her start to tremble, thinking for a moment she had started to cry but then comes the telltale snort of laughter.

"Remember how awkward we were during the trip to find the new Airbenders?"

I facepalm hard.

"Oh man that was brutal! I swear that cabin we shared felt like a broom closet with how much we were tripping over each other."

"Remember that time I saw you naked?" she whispers mischievously.

I'm pretty sure you could have cooked an egg on my face with how hot my cheeks felt at that particular memory.

"I... I remember that even after I covered myself and turned around you just kept standing there staring at me... I thought I was gonna die of embarrassment!"

"Well now you know all about my little fetish for that sexy back of yours, you probably should have kept facing me!" she giggles.

"Asami!" I whine.

"Oh I had to spend a lot of..." she clears her throat, "alone time in the shower to get through that one. And after that things just got even more tense between us... it was all cold showers from there." That little fact was all my brain could handle it would seem as I felt myself toppling to the side, the next thing I knew my head was resting in the grass and Asami had shifted to curl up against me, pressing her cheek against my back. "I'm gonna need to feel safe for this next part," she whispers.

"The poison..."

Asami shivers and tightens her grip on me.

"Taking care of you, making tea, cooking your meals, doing you hair, pushing you around in your chair... I'd never felt so close to you... and so faraway at the same time. Seeing you so empty like that... I was heartbroken."

I reach down to give one of her hands a reassuring squeeze.

"You saved me, Asami. There isn't a doubt in my mind that the poison would have killed me if you hadn't been there for me. Turning down your offer to come with me to the South Pole was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do but I knew that if I let you keep taking care of me I never would have had the strength to stand on my own two feet and look you in the eye again. Your letters, hearing how much you missed me... how things weren't the same when we weren't together and yet seeing you still push on with your life... it's what gave me the strength to take those first steps."

"Pushing ahead was all I could do. The time I spent buried in work was the only time I wasn't miserable and lonely. When I got your letter though..." she lets out a long deep sigh "it felt like a missing piece of me was sliding back into place. When I finally saw you again... it took every last bit of willpower I had not to run over and kiss you. You're just lucky I noticed your haircut in enough time to distract me!"

"Yeah... lucky..." I mutter, now regretting the change. "I was so out of it that the word 'snazzy' was all that I could force out. Who the hell says snazzy these days?! So embarrassing... and then I snapped at you about your father..."

"Things were tense, but we got through it... and the war. You scared me half to death with that last explosion... over and over in my mind all I could think about was how we'd come so far only to lose it right when things were about to get serious..."

"I'm sorry..."

"It was your turn to help me after that. The war memorial... dad's funeral... the stress at the thought of losing you... it took it's toll..."

I remove the floral crown and roll over so we're facing each other, our foreheads coming together as we embrace.

"But then came the wedding and the long bumpy ride finally finished. When you suggested we take this vacation together... I..." She squeezes her eyes shut, tears sliding free. "I just... want to..."

"I love you, Asami."

Her eyes flutter open to look into mine and I try to put every last bit of the love I'd felt for her for so many years into my gaze.

"Oh Korra... I love you too... so much!"

The distance between us closes and our lips met again. Never again would the two of us be apart... I would live my life without any regrets...

–

_To be continued..._


	2. Episode 2: Sagely Advice

**Avatar: The Legend of Korra**

Book Five: Love

_Our discussion of the past, airing out all those old worries and concerns... and learning just how long the two of us had been on the cusp of something wonderful was an eye opening experience. Though we had both felt it for a long time, saying and hearing those magical little words was absolutely liberating. The kiss we shared afterwards was both incredible and a little scary. There was... a need within it, a hunger and a passion that set a swarm of butterfly moths loose in my stomach. It was still too soon in our relationship for things like that... but damned if it wasn't something to look forward to..._

–

_**Episode Two: Sagely Advice**_

–

"Oh ho ho! I come to investigate a new portal opening with hopes of finding new sources for tea along the way. Instead I stumble across a different sort of flower blooming," a wise, raspy voice announces from somewhere behind me.

My eyes shoot open to meet Asami's equally startled gaze, understanding passing between us in an instant as we break apart. Asami dives for her bag which contains her electrified glove as I press my hand flat on the ground and launch myself to my feet with a gust of wind, readying myself for attack.

"Peace, Avatar Korra," the voice says with a chuckle as the underbrush shifts aside to reveal Iroh's smiling spirit.

The tension drains from my body and I motion for Asami to stand down, bowing respectfully to Iroh and returning his smile.

"Asami, this is Iroh, Iroh, this is Asami Sato, my..." I turn to look at Asami questioningly, receiving a nod of approval, "my girlfriend."

"I gathered as much!" he chuckles, stepping forward to take Asami's hands in his. "A pleasure to meet you, my dear, I am Iroh, a brewer of tea in this world of spirits."

Recognition flared in Asami's eyes.

"Iroh... THE Iroh?! Like... Zuko's uncle and mentor of Aang... that Iroh?" she asks in bewilderment, causing the old man's smile to widen even further.

"And former brewer of the finest tea in the Fire Nation," he adds with a wink.

"Wow... you expect to meet some important figures when you travel with the Avatar... but it's still a surprise every time! It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"It does me much good to be recognized by so lovely a young woman. Even old, fat, and passed from the mortal realm my charm still holds strong!" he announces, erupting with laughter and setting Asami's cheeks to reddening.

"Easy there you old charmer," I mutter, stepping up to stand by Asami's side and slip an arm around her waist. "I went through hell and back to get this one so I'm not just gonna stand by and let you steal her away."

"Ah, you Avatar's seem to have excellent taste in companionship. This one's spirit is strong, every bit the firecracker young Katara was I imagine."

"Old Katara, too," I add in, "she's as sassy as ever."

Iroh, still smiling, drops Asami's hands and steps back to regard the two of us.

"If the two of you are here then perhaps you can save me a journey by telling me of this new portal to the Mortal World. It has caused quite a stir amongst the spirits here and I would like to put them at ease."

I nodded and set about relaying the events leading up to the creation of the new portal.

"...and for now the entrance is being guarded to prevent the public from coming in but eventually I'm hoping to smooth things over enough to allow free traffic to and from the Spirit World. It's what I wanted to accomplish over time by leaving the portals at the North and South Pole open but given the location it's going to happen a lot faster than either side is ready for," I finish, before turning to Asami and hanging my head. "Sorry, this is supposed to be our vacation and I'm doing Avatar stuff..."

Asami let out a little huff of laughter.

"Oh I made my peace with that a long time ago... just don't ever... EVER plan on leaving me behind. I'm not a wait-and-worry-from-home kinda girl. So long as that's understood I think I can handle sharing you with the world."

It was Iroh's turn to laugh.

"Firecracker! I knew it!" he roars, giving Asami a nod of approval before turning to me. "I will do what I am able from this side to ease the spirits until a balance is struck," he offers, stroking his beard and musing to himself.

"I couldn't ask you to do that, you came here to relax, learn, and brew tea. There will be conflict in this and I don't won't to upset the life you've made here...you've earned your rest."

"Nonsense!" he shouts, clapping me heartily on the shoulder. "I shall move my teahouse near to the portal to give humans and spirits a place to sit and relax with one another. It will give me a chance to test my new creations on a variety of new customers and my craft will grow. Such a thing is nothing to help an old friend!"

"Old friend..." Though I couldn't help but smile at his boisterous nature and the help he was offering the tears began to stream down my cheeks. Asami turned to me, worried, and Iroh lowered his gaze knowingly. "Sorry, I just... I miss them, Aang and the others, their memories. I used to love hearing him tell me of your adventures and misadventures... and now there's just silence."

Iroh's hand tightened its grip on my shoulder.

"His memory may be gone but his spirit, his fire, is still very much a part of you. There will never come a day when I do not consider you a friend, Avatar Korra. Know that, always."

Unable to restrain myself, I pushed forward and wrapped the sweet old man in the tightest hug I could manage as I cried out all the tears of my loss. Asami's hand joined Iroh's on my back, adding in her own quiet support. After a time the sobbing ceased and I took an offered handkerchief from Asami to dab at my face, Iroh nodding in approval.

"A gentlewoman and a firecracker! You have my full support Asami Sato."

Asami grinned before bowing low and respectfully.

"You're everything the legends built you up to be and then some, Dragon Savior Iroh, it's an honor to receive your approval."

"Oh ho ho! Twice now you have stoked the fires of an old man's ego! I must repay you for this, the two of you will join me at my teahouse for a feast and the finest of tea my collection has to offer!" he shouted jovially, looping an arm through Asami's and striding off with her.

Asami, laughing, turned to look over her shoulder at me questioningly to which I nodded, flashing her a smile of my own. Iroh, without a moments hesitation, had just given me the thing I needed most to keep pushing forward. Confidence in who I was...

–

"Lord Zuko!" Asami and I shout in unison as we enter the teahouse, both of us trying to bring our hands up for a reverent bow and ending up in a mild tug-o-war due to our interlocked fingers.

"Greetings Avatar Korra, Miss Sato," Zuko chuckles quietly in amusement and waves us down.

I can't help but notice him eyeing our clasped hands as we let them fall to hang between us and my grip weakens. Asami shoots me a sideways look, the question going unspoken. I swallow hard, take a deep breath, and renew my grip as I step forward to smile at the spirit projection of my former self's best friend. He gestures to the seats opposite him at the table.

"Where are you meditating from to reach here?" I ask, pulling out one of the seats for Asami, earning a pleased little smile from her in the process, before taking the other one.

"A plateau near the Forgetful Valley, Druk has a nest nearby so it's convenient for visits with Uncle," he says, eyes once more drifting down to our hands.

I hadn't noticed, but our hands had settled close together on the table, my pinkie finger overlapping hers. I blushed at the realization that our hands seemed to have minds of their own and didn't want to be apart for long.

"And what brings you here, Avatar Korra? Is there trouble with new portal?"

"No, nothing like that... well, not yet anyway..." I trail off and Zuko nods knowingly. "Asami and I..." I turn to smile warmly at her before looking back to Zuko, "the two of us are simply taking a much needed vacation... together," I finished, heavy implication in the last word.

"I gathered as much," Zuko says with a laugh.

"And that... doesn't bother you?" I ask nervously, Zuko merely waved the notion away.

"Azula, once free of her madness, found Ty Lee to apologize for all the wrongs she had done. They were inseparable for the rest of their lives," he said, a distant smile forming on his face.

I creased my brow as I tried to recall all that I could remember of what I'd been shown of Azula by Aang. Unfortunately most of the memories involved her shooting lighting at me but there were a few little bits here and there of her casting a sly grin at her two friends.

"Good for them," I say, smiling warmly and placing my hand fully atop Asami's.

Zuko's gaze hardens.

"Be cautious though, my friend, not everyone shares such an experience to open their mind to different lifestyles. If you so easily allow your relationship to be noticed before you're ready the results could be disastrous!"

I swallow hard and move to pull my hand away from hers. Lightning fast, Zuko's hand is atop mine, preventing it from moving.

"Don't misunderstand! I mean this only when you are acting officially as the Avatar to the world. Never feel ashamed of who you are, and know that there is never a need to hide it when among true friends," he finishes, stern face settling into a warm smile as he pulls his hand back.

I managed to hold in the tears this time, but still had to work through a few sniffles to smile back at him.

"Korra..." Asami whispers, hand trembling slightly under mine. "I'm having a really hard time not jumping up and down and squealing like a giddy little girl..."

"W-What?" I ask, a small chuckle bubbling out.

"In one day two of the most iconic people in recent history, Fire Nation royalty, literal heroes and legendary figures have told me that there is nothing wrong with the way I feel about you... that's... just not something I ever expected to happen!" she shouts, voice squeaking a little from her excitement.

Zuko rolls his eyes, looking a little sheepish.

"Oh ho ho!" Iroh laughs from the doorway behind us. "Amazing is it not how different young love looks when you get to be an old man, eh my boy?" he asks, coming around the table to nudge Zuko with one elbow, nearly toppling the overflowing contents of the basket he's holding. "Hard to remember when you were able to look at the world with such bright eyes, eh?"

Zuko, ignoring his Uncle's ribbing, looks questioningly at Asami.

"Miss Sato, this meeting is actually rather convenient. Izumi and I have been discussing the potential for a powered rail line in the Fire Nation. I was going to request a meeting with you through Korra in hopes of speeding along the process but since I have you here now..." he trails off, both of them turning to me for approval.

"Uh... I don't mind. Asami said it's okay for me to do Avatar stuff when we're together so it wouldn't be fair to deny her businessy stuff. Need some help in the kitchen, Iroh?" I ask, rising to my feet.

The old man's face lights up.

"It would be wonderful if you could..."

"And by help," I interrupted, "I mean someone to stand there and watch you do stuff because my cooking ability is less than nothing."

"Come now, everyone knows at least a little..."

"I'm pretty sure she managed to burn water... on more than one occasion," Asami chimes in merrily, earning laughs from all us as Iroh escorts me to the kitchen.

"It's your fault for spoiling me with your awesome cooking," I call out over my shoulder, locking eyes and flashing her a bright smile. "They say everything tastes better when it's seasoned with love, right Iroh?" I ask, drinking in the sight of her blushing face as I exit the room.

–

The feast went off without a hitch, with several spirits joining in on the merriment. Laughing, singing, dancing, it was everything I had hoped for when I opened the portals to the Spirit World. If Iroh could manage even a tenth of what he'd created this night then my hopes for unity between the species didn't seem like a mere pipe dream anymore. The night was doubly incredible because I couldn't help but feel it was a celebration of Asami and me coming together. We both knew that things weren't likely to go over this easy ever again... but it was nice to have this one glorious day without having to worry. In the end we took Iroh up on his offer of a room to stay in before setting off to explore once again.

I kiss Asami as soon as the door closes behind us, earning a little yip of surprise before she returns it with equal fervor. I lift her easily, cradling her body against mine, trying to aim for the bed I saw upon entering as I press forward. My knee strikes the side of the bed and we tumble onto it, all pain forgotten as my eyes settle onto her. Dark hair splayed out to frame her beautiful face, cheeks flushed red from the intensity of the kiss, panting slightly. Her fingertips come up to trail across my cheek.

"What brought this on?" she whispers, voice coming out in a throaty purr, "not that I'm complaining..."

The fingertips lift free only to fall on my shoulder, tracing a slow line along my collarbone to my throat.

"This day... this was a good day. I never would have imagined finding so much acceptance so soon... and from people who mean so much to me..."

"A warning too, Korra, don't forget that," she whispers, then smiles. "But yes... a very good day for us... and maybe..." her fingertips slide downward toward my chest a mere centimeter but it lights a fire in my belly, "maybe a little..." another centimeter, I'm breathing heavily now, "a little more..." another centimeter, painfully slow... then stops and she pulls the hand away, nervousness in her eyes.

The fire inside me simmers down into a warm glow. I smile at her and lean down to press a gentle kiss against her lips, all the panic fading from her eyes as I pull away and lay down on the bed beside her. We embrace, our bodies fitting together as if they were made for each other.

"I love you, Korra," she whispers, nestling her head into the crook of my neck.

"I love you too, Asami," I whisper back, flicking one finger to extinguish the glowing candle with a puff of air.

–

_To be continued..._


	3. Episode 3: Family

**Avatar: Legend of Korra**

Book Five: Love

_Upon Iroh's invitation we decided to spend some time relaxing at the teahouse. The spirits, which had been somewhat wary of us before the feast, now mingled with us freely. We traded stories of our adventures and received tips on everything from particularly interesting sights to see to fashion advice; a group of water spirits being particularly adamant that the Spirit World should be experienced au natural... maybe next time. Iroh's approval of Asami even managed to go a step further when he discovered that she not only played Pai Sho in the old style, but was also a diabolical genius as far as the game was concerned. According to him some of their matches would pass into legend but being neither any good or particularly interested in the game I settled for enjoying all the cute expressions on Asami's face as she considered her moves._

_The days, difficult to gauge while in the Spirit World, flowed by us like water in a stream. There was an aura of peace here that I knew I would never have in the Mortal World. With that thought also came a sense of responsibility to protect that peace that I would discuss with Zuko during his visits. There was always a warmth in his character when we talked, to him it was like spending time with an old friend and despite my missing memories the familiarity with him was not lost on me. It saddened me to hear from Iroh that we had shared his hospitality for a week, the realization that we should be moving on was bittersweet._

_Asami's gorgeous green eyes greet me as I wake, the day already off to a fantastic start. I love seeing her early in the morning; eyes still droopy with sleep, bed hair, rumpled clothes, so unlike her usual pristine perfection yet equally beautiful in my eyes. We go about the morning routine we formed while on the journey to recruit the new Airbenders; cleaning our teeth side by side, brushing each others hair, kissing whenever our eyes hold on each others for more than two seconds... okay, the kisses are new but I'm certainly not complaining._

_We bid our farewells to Iroh, during which he presented Asami with Avatar Wan's teapot and denied her every refusal, stating that the wonderful tea it brewed should be drank by the Avatar once more. Asami and I, with my old teapot in tow, set off to tour the rest of the Spirit World. We take it easy and travel slowly, savoring our time together. We spent a day riding the dragon birds of Hai-Riyo Peak and prayed for the condemned at The Fog of Lost Souls. We spend two full days camping and playing with the air and earth spirits in the Meilì de Cao Dian, easily the most beautiful meadow I'd seen in all of Spirit World. We even visited Xai Bau's Grove, Asami suggesting that I slap Zaheer around with some Bending if he showed up, but the place was empty._

_Sadly, the two of us realized that we couldn't wander free forever, and though unspoken, we both knew our vacation was coming to an end. It was around this time that I noticed Asami was having trouble sleeping. It doesn't take much thought to know what it is that's bothering her. The Spirit World has been a paradise without worry or fear of what was to come. As the vacation was coming to an end, she knew that rough waters were quickly approaching. With a heavy heart, I guide Asami to our final destination in the Spirit World... the Tree of Time._

–

_**Episode Three: Family**_

–

"So this is where you became that giant blue spirit thing and kicked Vaatu's butt?" Asami asks, standing at the entrance of the hollow that once served as the dark spirits prison.

I smile and nod.

"This is where Avatar Wan imprisoned Vaatu ten thousand years ago. They say the roots of this tree are what hold the two worlds together," I say reverently, stepping up to her side to point at the two portals in the distance. "During Harmonic Convergence those two portals connect in the sky over this tree in a powerful binding. The energy created by that is what Avatar Wan... and I used to permanently fuse with Raava."

"Raava..." Asami whispers, reaching out to press her palm against my chest. "When the two of us are just hanging out it's sometimes easy to forget that you've got this other spirit inside of you..." she says, cocking her head to one side and smiling shyly. "I wonder what she thinks of me?"

I return the smile.

"I'm sure..." I start, but the gentle white glow of Raava's symbol appearing on my chest beneath Asami's hand cuts the words short.

_"My fondness for you grows with that of my host, Asami Sato,"_ the warm voice of Raava echoes within our minds. _"I have not concerned myself with the personal lives of the Avatar for some time... but due to our recent joining and the beginning of a new Avatar Cycle my bond with Korra is particularly strong. What she feels for you I cannot help but mirror..."_ she trails off, carrying with it the sensation of undying love and devotion through the spiritual nature and power of her voice.

"I... I..." Asami whimpers, overwhelmed by the contact with the spirit.

She stumbles forward to rest her head on my shoulder, her hand seemingly locked in place where it connects with Raava's symbol.

_"With her connection to the past severed, Korra can only look forward to the future she has with you. Take care with her heart, for as strong as she may be it is more fragile than she will ever admit. You carry with you the burden of caring for my home, Asami Sato... and I do not mean that old teapot I used to rest in..."_

With that, the light fades and Raava's presence settles deep within me once again. Asami goes weak in the knees at the loss of the contact and I quickly wrap my arms around her waist for support.

"Is... is that why... you brought me here?" she asks, panting heavily.

I pull her tight against me and shake my head.

"I didn't even know she could do that," I murmur, settling in to hold her as she composes herself, eyes locked on the portal to the south. "She's at her strongest in this place."

It takes a few minutes but eventually she steps away to gaze at me warmly.

"If that wasn't so exhausting I'd totally be fangirling it up right now!" she says with a laugh. "First Iroh, then Zuko, now Raava, the other half of your soul... who's next?" She notices me staring into the distance and follows my eyes, her smile falters. "That leads to the South Pole, doesn't it?" she asks, concern heavy in her voice.

I nod, not daring to look her in the eyes for fear of the worry I would see in them.

"My parents..." I whisper, letting the words hang in the air.

"If... if you want to tell them about us then I..." she stops, wrapping her arms around herself.

I let out a long slow breath and step up behind her to wrap my arms around her waist, resting my chin on my shoulder as we gaze out at the waiting portal and source of our mutual worry.

"No, this can't just be my decision."

She sighs, and leans her head against mine.

"I'm scared Korra. I know how it feels to have a family torn apart... and how it feels to not have one at all," she says, voice hitching slightly. "It would kill me if I caused that to happen to yours."

"You're wrong, Asami," I whisper, holding her tight and kissing her on the cheek. "You have me... you'll always have me."

She gives my arms a little squeeze, and the two of us settle into a long silence as we watch the lights of the portal dance into the sky. Eventually, she pulls away, takes my hand in hers, and tugs me along after her.

"Let's do it," she says, half quavering, half with conviction. "Not because I think I'm ready... but because I'm certain that I never will be..."

–

_Our arrival through the portal was met with surprise from both sides; the guards at our sudden appearance, us at the sudden change in temperature as neither of us had packed any heavy cold weather clothing. The soldiers, after a few autographs were signed and pictures were taken, were practically willing to empty their base of supplies for us. Much to their disappointment we accepted only a few winter coats and a snowmobile, unwilling to delay the trip any longer lest our nerve give out. We did, however, pause on the crest of a hill to look back at the spirit portal, memories of the wonderful time we shared there settling in our minds._

_Without any dark spirits to hinder our progress the trip to my hometown passed by far quicker than I think either of us wanted. I held tight to her waist the entire trip home... and it had very little to do with the cold. Luckily, I knew the guards at the gates and with a little convincing our presence in the city went unannounced. It took a full ten minutes outside of my parents home before I worked up the courage to enter. Mom nearly toppled into the water pool in the middle of the sitting room when she saw us. It felt so good to be hugged by her and for a short while... all my worries about what was to come faded away..._

–

"It was three days before we found that note you left," Father says disapprovingly. "Apparently it had blown off your desk and out the open window, we were all worried sick!"

Asami let out a little snort of laughter.

"Why do I have the image of you, dopey grin on your face, using Airbending to jump out the window and dragging the note along with you, in my head?" Asami asked with a coy little smile on her face.

I blushed horribly.

"I... it wasn't dopey!" I counter, realizing too late that I was only incriminating myself. The table erupted with laughter, making me blush even worse. "S-Shut up," I mutter, settling in my seat with a huff.

"Why'd you leave a note anyway? You said you were going to talk to Tenzin."

I look at her across the table, blushing for a wholly different reason now.

"I figured he would try to talk me out of it... and I really wanted to go with you." The radiance of her smile at those words made my heart race. It took every last bit of willpower I had not to lean across the table and cover her hand with mine. It would seem my efforts were wasted though, as I suddenly realized the room had gone completely silent. Asami noticed it too, her smile fading rapidly. I swallowed hard, it was now or never. "Mom, Dad... there's something I need to tell you and you're probably not going to like it..."

"Korra..." Mother starts by I cut her off.

"Mom, please, this is hard enough," I say, offering her a strained smile. "All my life I've felt... different. At first I thought it was just because of who I am and what I would have to do in my life. But the more time I spent out there in the world... with my friends... with Asami... the more I began to realize it was something else. I... I..." I choked, looking from Mom's concerned face to Dad, who had closed his eyes as I had begun to speak. The words wouldn't come and I felt the panic begin to stir inside of me. I could hear Asami let out a long slow breath and turned to look at her, my worry mirrored on her face. Slowly though, the faintest hint of a smile tugs at the corners of her lips and she nods. Her reassurance gives me the courage I need to find my voice and push on. "I'm... a girl that likes other girls... and Asami and I are in love with each other."

"Korra, we..." Mom starts again.

"Senna!" Dad shouts, silencing her. He slams his mug down onto the table, the warm liquid left floating in the air as his eyes slowly slide open... and settle on Asami. "I think what you've done to the Avatar... is despicable!" he roars, the liquid forming into an orb and smashing into Asami's face.

More stunned than hurt, she topples out of the chair and scrambles backwards away from the table.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I shout, moving to leap out of my chair only to feel a firm grip on my arm.

I stop and turn to see Mom shaking her head, eyes pleading with me. I see Dad out of the corner of my eye, leaping onto the table and pulling water from various sources around the room to form another sphere in front of him, bearing down on Asami. My emotions war with each other, my desire to protect Asami coming so close to winning out... but the desperation in Mom's eyes is enough to calm it. Trembling, I settle in to see how things unfold, ready to intervene at a moments notice.

"T-Tonraq!" Asami shouts. "I swear that I care for..." whatever else she was going to say was drowned out as the second sphere hurled towards her.

Asami was ready for it this time and dodged expertly, the water missing her head by bare inches to crash into the wall, leaving a large dent from the collision. Her eyes flicked to the damage and widened in surprise, realizing that he was fighting seriously. She began edging backwards towards the door, shivering and afraid.

"You think I'm just going to stand by and let you corrupt the Avatar with your... perversion!" he shouts, sending water rushing at her from two directions.

She managed to dodge the first one but in her surprised state she wasn't fast enough to avoid the second, taking it full force in the stomach and letting out a long pained wheeze.

"Please..." she gasped, letting out a few sputtering coughs before looking up at him, something hardening behind her eyes, "don't say things like that in front of her!" she shouted back, strength returning to her voice. "You can hate me all you want... but don't you dare insult her!"

It was then that I saw it for the briefest instant, a crack in mask of hate Father was wearing. It passed by in a flash, replaced by a snarl as he readied another assault.

"What are you going to do about it, freak?" he asked, malice dripping from his voice as he approached, several small globes of water forming around him.

Asami licked her lips, eyes darting around the room, settling on mine for the barest hint of a second and the fear in them nearly shattered my resolve. Quick as a flash her hand darts in and out of a pocket and something small flies from her outstretched hand across the room towards Dad's face. One of the orbs dashes forward to knock it aside and clatter onto the table, Asami using the distraction to make a break for her backpack beside the entrance, unclipping and sliding her hand into the electrified glove while rolling to avoid two fired water spheres, returning to her feet and poised to defend herself.

"This is how you respond to tradition? With violence?!" he shouts, sending the remaining spheres forward.

Something like doubt appears in Asami's eyes as she catches two of the orbs, dispersing them off the side of the gauntlet in a cloud of steam. One of the orbs had traveled slower than the others though, passing through the resulting steam cloud to hit her full in the face, the impact knocking her hair loose from its clip.

"Damn it, Tonraq," she splutters, coughing up a mouthful of water, "why are you doing this?"

At first I think the wetness on her cheeks is from Dad's attack but the twin lines forming in the liquid shows otherwise. I turn away, noticing one of the small blue pebbles Asami had collected while in the Spirit World, the object she'd used as a distraction. I reach out and pick it up, bringing it in to clutch against my chest. Mom's grip on my arm tightens, and I return my gaze to the two of them.

"You expect me to just abandon my beliefs and accept whatever you want?! What are you going to do if I refuse?! Are you gonna force me to sit by and watch as you poison the Avatar with your..."

At the word 'poison' something dark enters Asami's eyes and she charges forward, swatting aside two more orbs and ducking under a third. Dad had to leap backwards to avoid a swipe of the gauntlet but was caught off guard as she spun with the momentum of the miss and brought the heel of her boot around into his midsection. He managed to take a few steps backwards before falling to his knees.

"Don't you dare mention poison to me..." she whispers, taking one step forward, breathing raggedly.

Dad's face changes from rage to a confident smirk.

"And what are you going to do about that?" he asks haughtily as she takes another step towards him, gauntlet raising. "Are you going to fight everyone that disagrees with you?"

"I..." Asami froze in place, a look of horror on her face.

Ice erupts from the ground to encase the gauntlet, Asami barely pulling her hand free in time. Father rises to his feet.

"You think my words belong to merely one person?" he asks, the pillar of ice melting to swirl around him in the air. "Imagine a hundred voices, a thousand raised up against her!" The water surges forward to smash against her chest, sending her stumbling backwards. "How can she hope to unite the two worlds if she turns so many in one against her?!" Another blast of water, this one knocking her off her feet.

"I don't know..." she whimpers, rising shakily to one knee then slowly to her feet, looking down at her hands clenching and unclenching as if desperately trying to clutch onto something. "I don't know how to make them see..."

More cracks begin to appear in Father's mask but he grits his teeth and pushes forward.

"What about the Red Lotus?" he asks in a harsh whisper. Asami's looks up at him, eyes widening in horror. "What can you possibly do to protect her?!"

Another blast of water that she tries futilely to block with her hands, it sends her crashing into the wall. He takes another step forward.

"I... I don't..."

Another blast, only one of her hands comes up this time and she's sent spiraling into the center of the room, face down on the floor.

"You're not even a Bender, how could you possibly protect the Avatar..." The mask of anger he'd forced onto his emotions breaks away completely. "How are you going to take care of my daughter?"

"I don't know!" Asami shrieks, voice rising into a heartbroken wail of misery that cuts through me to my very core. "I don't know how I can get people to accept us!" she cries, beating her fists against the floor as her knees curl up beneath her. "I don't know how I can keep them from turning on her..." she whispers, ragged and miserable. "I think of people hating her because of her love for me and it twists me up inside so hard I fear I'll snap..." She raises up to her knees, her hair a tangled half-soaked mass hiding her face. "But what am I supposed to do?" she asks, bringing up her trembling hands. "I love her so much... but I don't know how to protect her... I'm all alone... I've lost everyone I've ever loved... Korra... she's everything to me!"

"I'm so sorry, Asami," Father whispers, falling to his knees and taking her trembling hands in his own. "You had to see the deepest depths of pool if you're going to be ready to swim in those troubled waters..." Shivering, she looks up to see his tear stained cheeks. "But you're wrong about one thing..." he says quietly, Asami looks at him, lower lip trembling. "Korra, Senna, and I... we're your family now. You'll never be alone again," he says, pulling her into his arms.

Asami stares in stunned shock for a second, then two, then she breaks down completely; burying her face in his neck and letting out huge wailing sobs. I stand, mother coming up with me to rush over to her side and embrace her. We stay like that for the better part of an hour as the heartache, worry, and grief drain away.

–

"We always had our suspicions when you were younger," Mom explains.

We're sitting at the table once again but Asami is curled up in my lap, dozing, having cried herself right to sleep. I stroke her hair to comfort her and Mom smiles warmly at the two of us.

"The first time we met Asami and saw the way you looked at her though... it was plain as day to us," Dad says with a sigh. "Then we had two things to worry about with you."

"Dad, I..." he holds up a hand to stop me.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean it to sound like that. It's just that being the Avatar would make your life hard enough. Being... different," he said, choosing the word carefully, "on top of that would only make it more so, hell, doubly so for someone like you that wears her heart on her sleeve."

I started to protest, but stopped, knowing they were right.

"Anyone who knows you and read that letter you left behind would realize the type of relationship the two of you have," Mom says with a small smile.

My face fell at the realization.

"Don't worry," Dad says quickly, seeing my expression. "Tenzin realized immediately and showed only the two of us. I imagined what a few weeks alone with each other would do for your confidence, how much closer you would become." I look down at Asami's sleeping face and recall how much more brazen we had become with our kisses and... the moments when we almost took things further. I look up at Dad, blushing, and he nods. "I decided that you would need to understand the gravity of the situation so you didn't blunder off unaware and unready into the world. When it comes time to walk down that particular road you need to be ready.

"I understand," I say quietly, gently lifting Asami with me as I rise to my feet, her head nestled against my chest. "I'm sure once the shock wears off we'll both be grateful for what you've done... I know it must have been difficult." He nods, and looks at me uneasily. "But for the next few days I'm going to be pretty wound up inside after seeing that little display so I'll leave you with this..." I trail off, feeling the power of the Avatar State roil through my body. _"Don't you ever hurt my lover again!"_ I shout, the walls vibrating with the power of my voice.

Slowly, I let the power drain away and turn from their stunned faces to walk down the short hallway to my old bedroom, slamming the door behind me with a gust of wind.

"Thank you for that," Asami whispers, the barest hint of humor in her shaky voice.

I smile and nuzzle her with my cheek as I make my way across the room and carefully set her down on the edge of the bed. I remove her boots and jacket before easing her down onto the mattress, stripping off my own before joining her and pulling the heavy fur blanket over both of us.

"We're going to get through this together, Asami. Step by step we'll figure it all out and it'll be nothing but smooth sailing right into the sunset years!"

She smiles and leans forward to give me a quick kiss on the lips before snuggling in tight against me.

"Of course we will... we're a family..." she whispers.

I can feel the warm, joyous tears sliding down onto my chest as the words leave her lips.

"I love you Asami..." I sniffle.

"I love you too, Korra... so much..." she sniffles back.

–

_To be continued..._


	4. Episode 4: Bonds and Intimacy

**Avatar: The Legend of Korra**

Book Five: Love

_Mother and Asami were practically inseparable in the following weeks. For Asami it was not only a rare chance to gain insight into my childhood, but also to spend time with a mother-figure, hers having died when she was very young. She took the time to learn how to prepare all of my favorite foods, learn songs that I had been fond of, and gather blackmail material in the form of every embarrassing story she could get her hands on. For Mother it was a chance to dote on a daughter in a way she hadn't been able to with me, as much from my being a dirty little roughhousing tomboy as my being the Avatar. It was heartwarming to see the two of them connecting so deeply._

_Father was much more aloof in his support, but it was equally treasured. The three of us would have long discussions about the more traditional groups in the world and how best to interact with them moving forward. We decided that there would be no grand unveiling of our relationship to the world, at least not in any foreseeable future. People were bound to form suspicions when we stayed in one place for any period of time but such things would likely remain localized and in the realm of rumor. Neither of us were particularly happy with this decision as it meant adding a layer of secrecy to something that felt so natural... but we understood that it was for the best. The hope was that over time, bit by bit, the people of the world would begin to acknowledge and accept us._

_Much like our time in the Spirit World we began to grow uneasy as we realized our time here was coming to an end. Up to this point Asami had been managing Future Industries remotely but the new project in the Fire Nation was quickly expanding into something she would need to oversee directly. A few scattered reports of unusual Spirit activity in the area surrounding the early construction site was all the excuse I needed to tag along in my role as the bridge between the two worlds. Little did we realize at the time that this would become the foundation of our lives together for many years to come._

_The following six months together passed by in a haze of busyness and bliss. Working together with Asami amongst the staff of Future Industries was easier than I had expected it to be. While on the work site there were simply too many things going on for us to have to worry too much about letting our growing intimacy show through. This was also a time of great personal growth for the two of us, my respect for Asami and her ability to plan and manage so monumental a task growing by the day. For myself I could feel my ability to commune with the both Spirits and nature itself growing more and more powerful through my frequent contact with the varied and often wild spirits of the Fire Nation. Sometimes during the more quiet nights, I could swear I was hearing whispers from the trees..._

_Our progress exceeded all expectations and upon hearing our report that we were months ahead of schedule the two of us were invited to a banquet at the Royal Palace. The formal dinner served as an excellent chance to show just how far the two of us had come in our ability to have our relationship in public without it becoming public knowledge. Apart from a few warning looks from Izumi, who Zuko had asked that we trust with our secret, when the two of us broached a subject too personal and one time when Zuko nudged and informed me that I had been staring at Asami's backside for the better part of three minutes, the night was a rampant success. I even managed to earn some good will with the nobles when I teased Zuko about 'how familiar' it felt when the two of us shared a dance and asked if he and Aang had ever practiced with each other to the uproarious laughter of everyone present._

_All in all, it had been a wonderful day... and from the looks passing between Asami and I... I was hoping it would be a wonderful night..._

–

_**Episode Four: Bonds and Intimacy**_

–

"Slow down!" Asami giggled as I led her along by the hand through the Avatar's Suite of the Royal palace.

"Can't, too excited!" I laugh, pausing to steady her a bit as she stumbles.

"Well you're just gonna have to carry me then, miss 'I'm the Avatar and can get away with not wearing heels to a royal banquet'," she says with a huff of indignation.

I grin and scoop her off her feet into my arms.

"Gotta take the perks with the responsibility!" I laugh, setting off down the hall once more. "Would be nice to even us out a bit though, you've already got enough height on me as it is," I mutter, adding a huff of my own.

"Aww, but I love my little mini-Avatar! I thought I was gonna melt when you had to go up on your tiptoes to kiss me before the party," she giggles. I cast her a mock glare and feign dropping her. "Korra!" she yelps, wrapping her arms tight around my neck at the sudden lack of support. "Fine fine, no more short jokes, I promise," she murmurs, placing a gentle kiss on my neck.

"Damn right," I say with a laugh, proceeding the rest of the way down the hall to our destination. "Tada!" I shout, shouldering open the heavy metal door, stepping into the steamy torch-lit bathing room, and gently easing Asami to the ground.

"Oh wow," she marvels, eyes sweeping across the large open red marble bath, an intricate dragon fountain at each corner pouring steamy water from it's mouth. She takes a few steps toward the pool. "It's beautiful!"

"So beautiful," I say, not looking at the bath.

Now that we're alone I can't take my eyes off of her. Asami always looks beautiful but today she was on a whole other level. The Fire Nation style dress she was wearing clung to her curves like a second skin. Her hair was styled in the modern fashion, falling in patterned waves down her shoulders, swaying as she moved to expose a tasteful amount of skin where the back of the dress dipped low. The stylish red heels she was wearing, though I still hated them, did wonderful things to her already shapely calves and rear. I had to fight down a shiver as I stepped forward to undo the little golden clasp of her dress at the back of her neck.

"Korra..." she whispers, and I can hear the smile on her lips.

"I've wanted to bring you here since the day we arrived in the Fire Nation," I whisper back, trailing my fingertips along her shoulders and down her sides, collecting the silky red material and exposing more and more of her beautiful pale skin as I go. I pause for a second to kiss the little mole I had found one morning on her lower back, my special mole, reveling in the slight intake of breath from her at the contact before sliding the rest of the material down her legs. I undo the straps of her heels and offer her my hand as she steps out of them and the pool of red silk her dress had formed before gathering them up and standing. She turns to face me, having grown comfortable enough in her nudity not to cover herself over the past few months. "Stunning..." I breath, drinking in the image.

Almost painfully, I turn away and walk to the small storage area at the side of the room, setting down her dress before going about removing my own. Though I lack the poise and grace that Asami seems to radiate naturally I do my best to make the motions of my undressing as sensual as possible. In particular I take my time letting the fabric slip down my back, blushing furiously at the feeling of her lustful gaze on me. I pause for a moment to compose myself as I set my clothes down next to hers before finally, as steady as I can manage, I turn and walk towards her.

"Beautiful..." she whispers, barely audible.

I feel my stomach tighten with nervous anticipation. We've seen each other naked dozens of times over the years, and had become fairly comfortable with each other's bodies during our nights together... and more so during a few of our more prolonged make-out sessions. It had never been in a situation as intimate as this though. I take a few nervous steps towards her and lean up to kiss her. Slowly, nervously, her arms find their way around my neck, mine around her waist, and our bodies melt together as I Bend the water to slowly envelope us and gently ease us down into the pool.

"Oh, that feels good," I hiss with pleasure as I pull away from the kiss.

Asami stares at me, bleary eyed and overwhelmed by the kiss for a moment before blinking and looking around her.

"When did you get so damn smooth?" she asks with a grin, pulling me in for another kiss.

"Oh you know..." a kiss "long nights in bed with a beautiful woman..." a deeper kiss, "gives a girl time to think, plan..." I lean forward to whisper, lips brushing against her ear, "fantasize," I finish, sending a delightful shiver through her body before tugging her back with me to the rim of the pool where a bench has been carved under the water.

I sit and pull her onto my lap, kissing her lips, her cheek, then along her jaw to the ticklish little spot where it meets her ruby studded earlobe. She lets out a little moan as my kisses start to trail down her neck and along her collarbone... then lower, hands sliding up her well toned stomach to gently caress the bottom of her breasts... and my lips go lower again... and then she freezes and pushes away from me.

"Korra, wait..." she says, panting.

I can't help the moan of frustration that escapes my lips.

"Asami... I know you get nervous when we start getting close so I've tried to take it slow and not rush you into anything you're not ready for but..." I murmur, looking up into her eyes pleadingly, "Why don't you want to make love to me?"

Her eyes widen in surprise.

"What?! Of course I want to make love to you, Korra! I've never wanted anything so much in my life! But..." she lowers her eyes demurely, "isn't there... you know... something you need to do first?"

I stare up at her for a while in total confusion before my eyes also lower, too embarrassed to look at her.

"Y-You mean like... f-f-foreplay and stuff?" I ask shakily. "I thought the s-sexy stripping and the thing with the water would... you know... rev up your satomobile engine..." I finish, casting a shy glance up at her and see her blushing deeper than I'd ever seen, she must have pulled blood from the tips of her toes to manage it.

I'm pretty sure it was a full minute before her brain turned back on and she was able to stammer out a response.

"It's n-not that at all! You've been managing that just fine since before we got together. I believe I told you about the cold showers on the airship," she finishes, managing a shaky smile.

My face falls, one of my deepest fears bubbling up to the surface.

"Is it because I'm a girl?" I ask timidly. "I mean... I never asked you if you ever, you know... with anyone before me so maybe..."

"Oh Spirits, no Korra, nothing like that!" she interrupts, leaning down to press her forehead against mine. "You're the only one that I've even come close to being serious enough with for something like that."

"Then what is it?" I ask pleadingly, even as a sense of relief at her answer to that question floods through me.

She pulls away and looks at down at me for a long while, confused.

"Isn't there something you want to give me before we... make love?"

It's my turn to be confused.

"Um... pretty much all I have in the world is my heart and you've had that for years, what are you talking about?" I ask, deciding on bluntness.

"You know," she whispers, tracing a line along her neck with a fingertip, "your promise."

Another moment of confusion, then realization.

"You wanted to wait until we'd exchanged a Betrothal Necklace... that's so old fashioned!" I say, unable to keep the laughter from bubbling out.

The mix of horror and embarrassment on her face makes me laugh even harder.

"But... I read in a book that it's tradition to not be intimate before the promise token has been exchanged."

"They barely even had that tradition in my parents time!" I say, still lost in the laughter as I pull her close against me, more in love with her than ever before.

"But... but Mom said it was still the popular thing..." she trails off.

My laughter finally ebbs away and I lean back to look up into her eyes.

"First off... absolutely love that you call her 'Mom,'" I say, darting up to give her a quick kiss on the lips, "second, you were talking about her daughter, of course she was going to say that you should wait! That's like, Mom Law that they have to push that kinda thing."

"Oh Spirits..." she mutters, voice filling with realization.

"Third," I continue, "Of the two of us, I'm the Water Tribe girl, if you wanted to be all traditional you should be the one giving me the Betrothal Necklace," I finish with a coy smile.

"But... Eska made one for Bolin!" Asami says, grasping at straws.

"Don't know if you noticed or not, but Eska is a little bit insane."

Asami bites her lip and pushes away from me to wade towards the other side of the pool.

"Where are you going?"

"You wait there, I'm gonna go drown myself and end this embarrassment!"

I laugh and use a little Waterbending to create a current to send her streaming back into my arms.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, it's the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life. You've managed the impossible and made me fall even more in love with you."

"Yeah?" she asks, turning around to face me and stealing a quick kiss.

"Yeah, and since we're not exactly a traditional couple I would love to be the one to give you a Betrothal Necklace." Asami's eyes light up with joy and I can't help but lean in for more kisses, settling back with her once again on the bench. "And now that we've got that mix-up sorted out... let's get back to where we left off..." I whisper mischievously, fingers slipping down her lower back towards her rear.

"Korra, wait!" she says, pushing away from me once again.

"Of for the love of..." I start, then catch sight of her glare and my jaw snaps shut.

She offers a small smile.

"I've been thinking about it for so long... now I really do want to wait until you've given it to me. You're right about us not being a traditional relationship... but I think that's all the more reason for us to practice some of those traditions. Mom and... Father," she says a little awkwardly, "they had to give up on a lot because you're the Avatar. I think little things like this would go a long way towards making up for what they lost."

I sigh and lean my head against her shoulder.

"You never fail to amaze me, Asami..."

"Damn right," she says with a little laugh. "Now, some ground rules!"

"What now?" I ask, head snapping up to see a sly smirk on her face.

"You have to wait till there's a perfect moment to give it to me! No slapping something together just because you want to do naughty things with me!" I open my mouth to protest but another stern glare silences me, I nod. "Also, no kissing until you do!"

"I one-hundred-percent refuse," I say, matter-of-factly, leaning up to kiss her lips. "You honestly think you could survive without that? I sure couldn't!"

She mulls it over for a second before sighing.

"Agreed. But no heavy make-out sessions!"

I shake my head profusely.

"Sorry, can't do that one either, the stress relief from those sessions is the only thing that's kept me from Bending the world in half at this point!"

She bites her lip again, thinking frantically.

"Fine! But no sleeping together!"

"Pfft," I huff, "we've tried that twice during our little fights and both times we didn't make it through half the night."

"Korra! Stop pointing out how awesome and close we are while I'm trying to make our engagement more romantic!"

"But... but..." her glare silences me, "yes dear," I murmur, lower half of my face sinking beneath the water, sullenly blowing bubbles.

She grins, and leans down to kiss my forehead.

"The first one will have to do then, I can't wait to see what you come up with!" she says giddily, hopping off of me to sensually climb out of the pool, giving me an absolutely spectacular view of everything in the process. She stops before standing to give me a sly wink over her shoulder.

"Oh... you're evil!" I shout, knowing full well she was going to enjoy torturing me now that she had the upper hand.

"Shut up, you love it!" she giggles.

"I really do.."

–

_Three months pass and we've settled back into our normal routine. It actually came about easier than expected thanks to how busy we were. The further we pushed from the Capital the more restless the wild spirits became. By the time we reached the end of the landmass and started spanning the shallow reefs to the nearest island we were being harassed almost daily. Even the water nymphs, normally the most docile of the wild spirits were unusually difficult to keep calm. When we finally reached the opposite shore we called a halt to construction and Asami and I immediately set off to find a place of strong spiritual energy._

_With a worried Asami watching over me, I meditated and projected myself into the Spirit World._

–

When my eyes opened I found myself standing on one of the crags overlooking The Fog of Lost Souls, but facing away from it into the distance. A barren, dried out valley stretched into the horizon, The Badlands, as the spirits at Iroh's teahouse had called it. A great battle had once taken place here and the area was left leveled and devoid of the life energy from which Spirits thrived. They had told us that nothing could live in this place but I could feel it, something was definitely out there... and it was coming closer.

_"Av... a... tar..."_

The lone word was whispered into the back of my mind, every syllable elongated... it chilled me to my very core. Suddenly I felt very vulnerable as a mere Spirit Projection. I steeled my nerves and watched the barren landscape for a few minutes, straining for any sign of movement. Seeing and sensing nothing, I did my best to shake off the fear and returned to my body, eyes opening to see Asami, concern on her face as she mopped at my brow with a handkerchief.

"You started sweating and shivering like crazy all of a sudden, what's wrong?"

I stood and stretched, trying to appear less rattled than I actually was, before answering.

"I'm not sure," I murmured, "remember that big empty space that stretched out after The Fog Of Lost Souls?" She thought a moment, then nodded. "I think there's a Dark Spirit out there stirring things up and that has the little wild spirits here acting all jumpy. Shouldn't be too much of a problem, maybe if I can pacify enough of them on this side then maybe the one over there will calm down."

Asami stared at me for a long while before smiling and whacking me with the wide brimmed hat she'd taken to wearing to keep the sun off.

"I'm kind of glad you're such a terrible liar," she muttered, returning the hat to her head before fixing me with another concerned look as she held out her arms. "How bad is it really?"

I sigh and step into her embrace, pressing my face into the crook of her neck as she strokes my back to comfort me.

"Knowing my life... it's probably going to be bad."

"Figures," she says, letting out a sigh of her own before pulling away to arms length to look me in they eye and give me a wide grin. "But I knew it wasn't always going to be smooth seas when I fell in love with the Avatar. We'll beat whatever this is Korra, I've still got way too much loving you left to do to stop now," she says, hooking her arm through mine and leading me to a small picnic she had set up.

I watched her go about setting out two plates, humming my favorite song from my childhood as she loaded them up with all of my favorite snacks, and couldn't help a smile of my own from tugging at the corners of my lips. I walked over and dropped to my knees in front of her, removing a small leather bag from my backpack and emptying its contents into my hand. The piece of starmetal I had learned to Metalbend with in Zaofu, a handful of the small stones Asami had collected during our vacation in the Spirit World, and a platinum chain. Asami freezes when she sees what I'm holding.

"Korra..." she whispers, eyes rimmed with tears.

I smile and set about my task, using a small piece of the starmetal as a makeshift drill to hollow a path for the chain through each of the eight stones, two each of red, blue, green, and white. Carefully, I slide the chain through them and fix them in place with a small bit of the starmetal, leaving a gap in the center with one stone of each color in a matching pattern alongside it. I place the lump of starmetal over the center of the chain in my palm and move my other hand on top of it, taking a slow deep breath to settle my nerves as I enter the Avatar State. Focusing on the shape in my mind, I feel the metal warping between my hands, shifting itself into the shape I desired, taking a full minute to tweak and adjust it until it was perfect. I sigh and let the power fade away, opening my hands to show her the result.

"Whatever we may face in the future, Asami... I don't want to have any regrets. Will you accept my Betrothal Necklace and the promise to always love and support you that comes with it?"

She reaches out with trembling hands to run her fingertips over the perfectly smooth disc at the center of the pattered stones. Pressed into the metal are four sections, each containing one of the symbols for Earth, Fire, Air, and Water, with a central circle looping through all four sections holding the symbol for Energy.

"Oh Korra, it's beautiful..." she whispers, turning her back to me and pulling her hair aside.

I smile and lean forward to place the chain around her neck.

"There are two different sets of clasps for the chain," I explain, holding it at the first set, "this set on the end will put the necklace low enough that you can wear it without it showing for when we're in public. And this set," I say, raising it up so that it sits centered at her throat, "is for when we're around the people we love," I finish, fitting the clasp together. She turns to look at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. "So... is this a yes?" I ask, my own tears beginning to fall.

In answer, she leans forward and kisses me, easing me down onto the blanket she had laid out for the picnic. Newly betrothed, we make slow, tender, passionate love under the warm sun, the wild energy of untamed nature all around us. Eventually the day dwindles to evening and we curl together in a lovers embrace beneath the stars.

"I love you Korra... so much..." she whispers.

"I love you too Asami... my wife to be..."

–

_To be continued..._


	5. Episode 5: Entity (Part One)

**Avatar: The Legend of Korra**

Book Five: Love

_The dreams started a few days later. Vivid, terrifying, dreams of being stalked by a shadowy figure. Sometimes I would run, sometimes I would fight back, sometimes my friends and family were there to help me... it didn't matter, it always consumed me in the end. With every step it takes the grass, the trees, the water, all of it begins to wither and dry, as if life cannot exist in its presence. 'Av... a... tar...' over and over again it calls out to me as if tasting, savoring, every syllable. Every morning I wake, shivering and sweating, to Asami's worried attention. She tells me it's getting worse as the days go by, that I'm becoming more and more strained during my sleep._

_I find myself becoming more wary of projecting into the Spirit World to keep watch over the Badlands, fearing the dark figure will be waiting to pounce and consume me the instant my body materializes. The fear and the shame it brings with it combines with the restless sleep and I find myself losing my patience, both with the Future Industries employees and the wild spirits. I can feel the crushing self-doubt I experienced while overcoming Zaheer's poison attempting to claw its way back to the surface and it terrifies me even more than the dreams. The first time I find myself about to snap at Asami is when it strikes home just how unbalanced I was becoming. I needed to know who or what was haunting the Badlands and my dreams if I was to prevent myself from falling back into despair._

–

_**Episode Five: Entity (Part One)**_

–

"Jinora," I murmur, focusing my thoughts on the girl and reaching out for the tendrils of the connection we'd formed during Harmonic Convergence.

It takes several minutes of intense focus before a hazy image of the girl starts to appear followed by faint, muffled sounds. I watch in confusion as the color of her body rapidly changes back and forth between red and green and she appears to be muttering some bizarre chant. Eventually the haze clears and the world around me comes into focus and I let out a little chuckle at the realization that she was holding different colored dresses up against herself while looking in a mirror and fretting with herself. She pauses for a second at my laughter, seemingly unsure as to whether or not she actually heard something. Deciding that I could use a little fun after all the stressful nights I float down to the ground and move my mouth right behind her ear.

"I like the red one," I whisper in as haunting a tone as I can manage.

I'm grateful that sound comes across as fairly muffled when communicating like this because the high pitched shriek of surprise she lets out at the sound of my voice is amazing. She spins around to look at me, rolling around in air of the room, holding my sides with laughter. She gives me the fiercest glare she can manage while still trying to catch her breath, laughter of her own starting to bubble up to the surface now that the fear has passed.

"Korra! You're horrible!" she shouts, grinning for a moment before realization strikes. "Hey, you've gotten pretty good! Your image is a lot clearer than before," she says, walking around my projection and looking it up and down.

"I've been exercising my spirit muscles a lot more than I used to, and my teacher was pretty awesome," I say, reaching out to motion ruffling her hair even though my hand passes right through her. "It's good to see you, kiddo, Asami and I have missed you guys so much." At the mention of Asami the girl's face turns as red as the dress she's holding. "Something wrong?"

"Oh nothing..." she murmurs, suddenly unable to meet my gaze. After an awkward pause she shakes her head as if to clear it and looks back up at me, still a hint of color in her cheeks. "What brings you here, Korra?"

All the cheer I'd managed to build up quickly dies away.

"I need you to be my spirit guide again, I have to speak to Wan Shi Tong and I don't have time to find his library on my own," I say, feeling a pang of regret as her face falls. Jinora's betrayal and capture at the behest of the ancient spirit had left her somewhat wary of the Spirit World, and here I was asking her to go right to the source of her turmoil. "I'm sorry, Jinora, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." I look around the room at the scattered outfits and sigh. "And you're getting ready for a date too... wow, I'm really not feeling like a good friend here."

"It's okay, I told you to reach out to me if you needed help," she says, offering a small smile to reassure me.

"Thank you so much, Jinora! Are you able to bring me in from here or do I need to return to my body and project in normally?"

She thought about it a moment and shook her head.

"Maybe eventually... but I'd rather play it safe, give me like ten minutes and I'll come find you on the other side. Where do you project in from where you're at?"

I think of the Fog of Lost Souls and her imprisonment there and frown.

"It's complicated... it'd probably be best if I find you, shouldn't take me too long." She mirrors my frown, suspicious, but nods. "Thanks again ,Jinora, hopefully we'll have you back in plenty of time for your date!" I finish with a wink, severing the connection and returning to my body.

"Where you able to reach her?" Asami asks, helping me to my feet when I reach out for her.

"Yeah, gonna meet up with her in the Spirit World."

"You know I don't like you running off without me... stupid lack of connection to the spirits..." she murmurs, kicking sullenly at the floor.

"Aww, don't pout! I don't like it either. If I thought we had time to go through a portal we would."

"You remember everything we went over?" she asks for what had to be the fifteenth time today.

"Yes... you very thoroughly and lovingly beat it into my head," I say, trying to get a smile out of her.

She's still frowning, but she nods. I give her a lopsided grin, digging deep within myself for some positivity to pass onto her. I reach out to tilt her face toward mine, miming like I'm going in for a kiss only to continue dipping down, leaving her standing there with her lips pursed as I use her shoulders for support to stretch out my legs and back. Her glaring face when I pop back up to my feet is absolutely adorable so I steal a quick kiss off of it before dropping back down into my meditative pose.

"You'll pay for that..." she says, a hint of a smile in her words.

"You're gonna draw something on my face while I'm gone, aren't you?"

"I'm seriously considering it!" she chimes, and the warmth in her voice washes away some of the tension that had been building up inside me.

"Worth it..."

–

As we travel, I fill Jinora in on what had been happening lately, her face growing more and more grave as the story unfolds. She's quiet for a long while after I finished, deep in thought.

"It's happening here too, not nearly as bad as it sounds in the Fire Nation, but there's a feeling of... uneasiness I guess. There's also a lot more Spirits coming through the portal than there used to be. Knowing what I do now, I'd say they're probably running from whatever is out there."

"And that's why I need to know what it is and hopefully how to stop it. We went through too much to carve out the little bit of balance we have now to just let it fall apart..."

We travel the rest of the way in silence, Jinora slowing to a stop as the upside down library comes into view.

"How are you going to convince him to tell you anything? He pretty much stabbed you and all of humanity in the back," she says bitterly, a wary fear in her eyes as she stares at the hanging structure.

"Asami came up with a plan."

"Asami?"

I turn and smile, noticing her turn away slightly to avoid looking me in the eye.

"When I told her everything I knew about Wan Shi Tong she said he reminded her of a lot of snobby rich people she'd met that fancy themselves as collectors and gave me some advice on how to deal with him. Hopefully I can get the information I need and settle a few scores with him at the same time," I say, hands clenching into fists.

"Korra..."

I let the anger simmer down a little and turn to offer Jinora my hand.

"If you want to face your fears then come with me. No matter what happens I won't let him hurt you," I say, trying to put as much resolve into my voice as possible. Jinora looks at the hand, then at my face, then over at the waiting library. She bites her lip, takes a deep breath, and puts her hand in mine. "That's my girl!"

My stomach turns slightly at the reorientation of the world as we approach the building. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to the oddities of the Spirit World no matter how much time I spent here. We drift down through the open ceiling and land on an intersecting bridge, Jinora gripping tight to my hand and casting nervous glances at every shadow.

"Wan Shi Tong, I am Avatar Korra! I'm here to collect on debts you owe!" I shout, voice reverberating through the quiet halls.

"I know who you are, I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten-thousand things!" a voice replies from above... below... whatever. The great spirit of knowledge flutters into the room and lands in front of us. "What I do not know is why someone who should know that humans are no longer allowed here would bring one to my library speaking of debts which do not exist. Go away or I'll remove you," he says, anger mixed with confusion and what I hope is curiosity in his voice.

"Peace," I say, "I merely come seeking information, help me find it and all debts will be forgiven."

He stares at me, head tilting so far to one side that it was nearly upside down. I keep my face intentionally blank and eventually the feathers around his neck ruffle and his head turns right-side up.

"What are these debts you speak of? I have made no deals with you, Avatar Korra, and any deals I might have had with previous Avatars were voided with their deaths."

"The debts you owe aren't to me, they're to knowledge," I say conspiratorially.

"What nonsense is this? I have done more than any to preserve and treasure knowledge, I am he who..."

"Knows ten-thousand things, yes. But someday don't you want to be he who knows twenty-thousand things? Thirty-thousand?" He ponders my words, the feathers of his neck smoothing out. "You sided with Unalaq because he was a friend to the Spirits, this is something I understand completely," I say, giving Jinora's hand a reassuring squeeze when I feel it start to go limp in mine. "Humans lied to you, used the knowledge you had so carefully preserved for violence and destruction. You hated them because they showed such disrespect for the wisdom gained here, correct?"

"This is true, humans are wasteful, hateful creatures who only know how to destroy."

I smile as he takes the bait.

"So we're in agreement then, that you, by siding with Unalaq, pawn of Vaatu, the Spirit of Chaos who wanted to create ten-thousand years of darkness and corrupt all the spirits into near mindless beasts in the process, are also guilty of disrespecting the wisdom gained here, correct?"

"What?! That's not... I..." he trails off, suddenly standing bolt upright.

I press on.

"Imagine all the things in the world you had yet to learn about that would have been destroyed. Imagine all the things that had yet to be created that would no longer come to be. Your actions nearly caused the pursuit of knowledge to become meaningless!"

As I finish his head began to turn, twisting almost completely around in one direction before slowly circling back around and then in the opposite direction. I could only hope that this meant he was considering my words and not planning some means of killing of us. After three rotations of left to right he blinks and leans down to regard me closely.

"What you say is... true," he admits begrudgingly. "My actions were shortsighted and would have hindered the progress of knowledge. I assume you wish for me to open my library to you in atonement for my actions, very well, the knowledge of Wan Shi Tong is at your disposal, Avatar. Tell me what..."

"I said I was here to collect debts, implying more than one," I say, interrupting him. "You also wronged my friend Jinora," I say, letting a hint of anger through into my voice. "You took someone who came to you seeking wisdom, offered them your hospitality, then played part in having them cast into The Fog Of Lost Souls, a place where nothing can be learned, only forgotten. You caused a girl who loved to read and learn more than anyone I've ever met to be afraid to explore not only her own potential, but an entire new world. If that isn't a crime against knowledge then I don't know what is!"

The spirit turns to regard Jinora curiously and, to her credit, she faces him completely openly and honestly, hiding neither the fear nor the anger that had been building inside of her since his betrayal.

"Agreed," he says simply, Jinora lets out a relieved breath. "This human shall also be welcome in my library whenever she wishes."

"And you owe her an apology," I say, wanting to put him in his place a little and knowing he didn't have a choice if he wanted to keep his dignified air.

"Forgive me, Jinora, granddaughter of Avatar Aang, for the wrongs I have done to you in your pursuit of knowledge," he says, bowing low and offering her one of his massive talons.

She regards it nervously for a moment before smiling at me and reaching out to shake it.

"And you owe her some spirit cake, enough for two people... to... help her study," I say, barely keeping the smug grin from my face, Jinora has to cover hers up with a rather fake sounding cough.

The great owl spirit mutters something under his breath, glares at me, then gestures to one of his knowledge seeker spirits which promptly runs off deeper into the library.

"Thanks Korra," Jinora whispers, giving me a warm smile.

"Anytime kiddo," I whisper back.

"Now that all debts have been settled," he says, glaring a warning at me not to press my luck, "tell me what you have come here to learn."

I hesitate slightly, fearing what I might find as images from the dreams drift through the back of my mind.

"Lately I've been having dreams of a shadowy figure stalking me, calling out my name. Whatever it is, it's frightening the wild spirits of the Fire Nation and causing spirits to flee in droves through the newly opened Spirit Portal. I can sense it's presence when I'm near The Fog of Lost Souls, and it's coming closer every day. What I need to learn from you is what lives in the Badlands of the Spirit World and how to stop it."

The great owl's eyes widen and his beak begins to vibrate, letting out a low chattering sound that is oddly unnerving coming from so large a creature.

"What?! The Nameless One of Qiliang Zhi Dì survives?! Why didn't you say so when you first arrived?! Come quickly, you have much to learn!" he shouts, fluttering off into the stacks of books.

Jinora looks and I look at each other, a mix of surprise and fear mirrored on both our faces.

"That.. can't be good..." I murmur, dread filling me with every step I take as we follow the terrified spirit.

–

"Why do I feel worse now that I know what's coming?" I sigh, lifting off into the air, Jinora's clammy hand in mine. "Still, gotta hand it to Asami, her plan worked like a charm. Probably went a lot better than mine would have..."

"Oh? What were you gonna do?"

"I was gonna punch him in his stupid bird face until he told me what I wanted to know," I say with a chuckle, but it's shaky, mostly humorless.

I can feel Jinora's eyes on me and glance out of the corner of my eye to see her looking at me with concern before nodding as if affirming something to herself.

"Hey Korra... I want to tell you something," Jinora murmurs as we land outside the Library.

I try to hide the worry in my eyes as I look down at her, and am instead caught off guard by the sight of her nervous blushing face.

"Something bothering you, kiddo?"

"I um... I didn't want to say anything before but after hearing all that..."

"Just in case?" I offer with a sad smile, she nods.

"Um... I just wanted to say... that you and Asami are a really cute couple!" she bursts out.

That was probably the last thing I had been expecting her to say.

"W-What? Oh... Tenzin! You suck at keeping secrets!" I shout, shaking my fist in what I hoped was his direction.

"Wait, Dad knows?" she asks in surprise, then slowly the blush on her face manages to deepen a shade. "Oh that must have been really embarrassing..."

I slap a hand to my forehead, the shock to my already unstable system taking it's toll.

"Okay, let's just start from the beginning, how did you find out?"

"Um..." she murmurs, pressing the tips of her index fingers together. "I projected myself out to come visit you and see if you wanted to do some more spirit training. When I showed up Asami was there... and the two of you were alone in your tent... and... um... you were busy," she manages to whisper, turning away to hide her face in her hands.

"Oh Spirits!" I shout, burying my own face in my hands. Slowly, the gears in my brain turn and realization dawns on me. "Oh no, you thought Tenzin also saw... oh, ew ew ew ew ew! No! Just... no! He found a note I left when we went on vacation and figured it out!" I shout. She turns and looks at me hopefully and I nod, the two of us sharing a relieved sigh. "Well, I'm sorry you had to find out like that, but yeah... thanks for saying that we're cute together, your support means the world to us."

"It's true," she says, beaming up at me.

"Just... keep it to yourself for now, we want it to tell everyone in person."

"Of course!"

"Oh, and next time to you decide to pop in, do it during the daytime so you don't catch another eyeful," I say with a laugh, embarrassment finally starting to fade.

"Korra... it was during the daytime," she adds, smiling shyly.

"Oh... oh right..." I murmur, lopsided grin forming on my face, "maybe you should just stay outside the tent and shout from there first," I say awkwardly, hiding my face in my hands again to keep my grin from showing. I hear giggling and peek out between my fingers to see her smiling up at me and reach out to pull her into a tight hug. "Thanks kiddo... I needed something to make me smile..."

–

_Word spreads throughout the world and within two days the single greatest collection of warriors and brilliant minds in the world are set to gather on Air Temple Island... our friends and loved ones. All I had done was contact them out of the blue and tell them that unspeakable danger was approaching, their response was to come running. I had never been so proud or so grateful in my entire life. Despite the gravity of the situation we were heading into, Asami and I were both so happy for the chance to see them all again. Asami couldn't wait to show off her new necklace..._

_We were both halfway down the landing ramp before it even touched the ground, leaping into the collective arms of Bolin, Mako, and Opal. Hugs, stories, laughs, and complaints about being left out of the vacation to the Spirit World were shared in equal amounts. It was a wonderful moment I won't ever forget..._

–

"Oh, that's beautiful!" Opal exclaims, noticing Asami's necklace once things have calmed down a little. "Where did you..." her eyes light up with realization. "Oh! Oh wow!" she shouts, clapping a hand over her mouth.

Mako sees it next, a little self-satisfied smirk appearing on his face as if confirming something he already knew. He gives us a little nod of approval and the two of us return it with a smile.

Bolin looks between the two of them, then at Pabu sitting on his shoulder and shrugs, confusion plain on his face.

"Am I missing something?"

The collective sigh could have altered the course of a hurricane.

"Don't you want to complement Asami on her pretty new necklace?" Opal asks, failing to disguise her clenched teeth as a smile.

Bolin looks at Asami's necklace, his eyes starting to sparkle, then up at Asami who smiles back and nods, his feet start to do a giddy little shuffle as he turns to me and I try to hold the sniffles in as I give him a nod of my own.

"Korra..." he squeaks with unbridled joy, "who is Asami getting married to?!"

Even Pabu sighed this time.

"Oh... you're lucky you're handsome," Opal says sadly, patting him on the head.

"Hey, you guys are being mean..." he says with a frown that almost immediately shifts into a cocky grin as he strokes his chin,"though I am handsome."

"Ugh," Mako groans in disgust.

Opal, taking pity on Bolin, takes his face in her hands and guides it as she speaks.

"Hon, look at the Avatar symbols on the Water Tribe Betrothal Necklace, then look at Korra, the Avatar and a member of the Water Tribe, then look at who's hand Korra is holding..."

Asami and I, trying our hardest not to laugh, lean in close to press our cheeks together as we raise our joined hands and wiggle our fingers at him.

"Oh," he says nonchalantly, "right, I totally knew that, congrats you two!" he says, giving us a thumbs up as he takes a single large slow step toward Mako. "Hey Bro..." he whispers behind his hand, loud enough for anyone within twenty feet to hear. "I think I found out why you got dumped so hard!"

"Shut up, Bolin!" Mako growls.

With that, all of us dissolve into laughter, eventually interrupted by the sound of a loud happy bark from an approaching Naga. She practically bowls the others out of the way and does her best to drown me in kisses before stopping and sniffing at Asami and her necklace. Naga pulls back, looking Asami in the eye and tilting her head curiously.

"I hope you don't mind sharing Korra with me, girl," Asami says, reaching out and scratching the polar bear dog behind the ear. "I think with the two of us working together we can keep her out of trouble."

Naga, tongue lolling in an approving doggy grin, gives her a big sloppy kiss before leaning in to nuzzle her head between us.

"I missed you too girl," I murmur, stroking her soft fur and sniffling back tears as I look around at all the smiling faces, feeling the love and support wash over us. "I missed all of you so much..."

–

_It takes an awkward cough from Zuko, who had been standing behind on the landing ramp as we reunited with Opal and the boys, to bring us back to reality. It's a little unfortunate, I could have stayed in the warmth of that moment forever if it had been possible. We proceed into the large meeting hall to greet the rest of our assembled group. Asami and I paused outside the room, gripping each other's hands tight for support. Apart from a minor worry about Mako, we hadn't expected much resentment from our closest friends. The others were older though and possibly leaning on the traditional side as far as Tenzin and Lin were concerned. It wasn't much, but the worry had always been there._

_Tenzin surprised us right as the doors opened with a hug for each of us, followed by a lengthy admonishment about the risk we took running off like we did and about taking my responsibilities as the Avatar more seriously. It was honestly the best response we could have hoped for with him. We received a hug and a hand squeeze of support from Kya... along with a loud profession of jealousy and weary personal story about her wasted youth. From Bumi we received a simple thumbs-sideways as he was currently laid out on a sofa, violently ill after an Airball mishap._

_I could feel a knot tighten in my stomach as Lin approached, her usual steely eyed glare out in full force. She merely glanced at the necklace before turning to complement me on my Metalbending as she awkwardly offered her hand. There was something... odd in her voice, and now that I was looking more closely even the grim expression on her face seemed forced. Asami noticed it too, and the mischievous grin that formed on her lips made me both nervous and excited for whatever that brain of hers was cooking up. She turned to me and smiled, using the subtlest of gestures to inform me of her plan, I couldn't keep the lopsided grin off my face if I tried. As one, we stepped forward, each of us taking one of Lin's arms and simultaneously planted a kiss on her flushing cheeks. The roars of her protest mixed in with the roars of laughter from the rest of the room, all of the tension gone. Lin stormed off to take a seat on one of the sofas, red faced and muttering, almost instantly joined by Kya whose grin held the promise of teasing for a lifetime._

_We were informed by an acolyte that a Water Tribe ship had been sighted so we settled in to wait for the last of our party. The glow about Asami as she mingled with our old friends was absolutely stunning to look at, and I very much suspected that I shared in that glow. The two of us had overcome yet another milestone on the path towards our future together. Though neither of us had suspected the reveal of our relationship to people we had grown so close to would go too badly, the overwhelming support we received had brought with it a sense of relief. The doors opened soon after to admit Father, striding purposefully, stern expression on his face... until his eyes fell on the Betrothal Necklace and then he was running towards us, veering off towards Asami and lifting her up in a hug to spin her around several times before one burly arm shot out to pull me into it as well, shouting about how happy Mom would be when we showed her. Asami had been absolutely right about how pleased keeping the traditions we could alive would make them._

_Once again it was a polite cough that brought us back into the here and now. This time not from Zuko, but Katara who had entered the room at Father's side. Sheepishly, he puts us down and we pay our respects to the matron of the Water Tribe. She merely smiles and waves it away, telling me how proud she is of the woman I'm becoming. The connection I share with Katara has always been a little awkward, knowing that in a past life I had loved this woman more than anything in the world. She had always been kind to me, but there was a pain there too... a sense of loneliness that I feared the love of my life would someday share. I turn to look at Asami and I can feel a pain of my own throb in the deepest recesses of my heart; the knowledge that I too would move on someday and love another and, spirits willing, a thousand more after that. I didn't know it now, but that thought would worry at the back of my mind for the rest of my life..._

_I sighed, realizing that the good times were about to come to an end as I gathered everyone's attention at the center of the room. It was time to create a battle plan to defeat a being that could Bend the very essence of life itself..._

–

_To be continued..._


End file.
